


Break the Ice

by exklusiv



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Panicking boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-15 13:58:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3449699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exklusiv/pseuds/exklusiv
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on what the Inquisition scouts said, Emprise du Lion was not always a frozen wasteland. It had been just their luck to go to it when it was.<br/>The Maker, Dorian decided, had a twisted sense of humor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Break the Ice

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know.

“Mountains, cold. ‘Let’s bring Dorian!’”

Nils rolled his eyes. “I’d have heard even more complaining from you if I’d left you at Skyhold.”

“Is that a fact, Inquisitor?”

“The more I have to listen to you whine about the weather, the less I have to hear you whine about the library. I’ll take you as the complaints come to you, not when they build up over days.”

Dorian huffed as Cole and Cassandra kept pace behind the bickering couple. Based on what their scouts said, Emprise du Lion was not always a frozen wasteland. It had been just their luck to go to it when it was.

“I still don’t understand why we can’t go somewhere that’s warm and—stop!”

Nils stopped dead, frantic. “What, what is it?”

“You’re about to go onto the ice!”

Furrowing his eyebrows, Nils looked down at the river he’d been about to step on. “You’re as observant as ever, Dorian. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Ice on a river is never a good idea!”

With an exaggerated eye roll, Nils climbed onto a boulder that lined the bank. Like a petulant child, Nils leapt off of it onto the frozen river. With Dorian spitting vile Tevene at him, Nils landed on the ice with a thud, the ice refusing to even dent.

“It’s frozen solid, Dorian,” Nils said, stomping his foot on the ice. The dull sound of the vibrations made Dorian grit his teeth. “We’ll be fine. Come on, I saw a rift over here. Might as well get to it while we’re here.”

“If you fall through, I’m going to tell you that I told you so!”

Ignoring the Tevinter, Nils walked onto the ice with Cassandra behind him. Cole came up behind Dorian and tilted his head, looking out at the Inquisitor. “Chattering with cold but hot with fury. He doesn’t want you to worry about him so much, Dorian. He’s capable of taking care of himself.”

“Going to get himself killed, more like it,” Dorian muttered, following the elf and the Seeker. “Come on, Cole. Are you in the mood for destroying some demons?”

“I suppose so.”

Nils already had his staff in hand and was agitating the demons when Dorian and Cole ran up. A few terrors skimmed the ice; Nils threw spells at them as Cassandra knocked them to their feet with bone-shattering blows. Cole slid around on the ice like he was born to do it, ducking and dodging as he stabbed into the demons with pinpoint accuracy. A rage demon spilled out of the rift and roared loudly; Dorian caught it in its scream with an ice casing. It broke free of its confines after a moment, slithering around the ice, swiping at the group with razor sharp claws. A final slash from Cole’s daggers sent it back into the Fade as the rift rearranged itself, accommodating for its weakness.

The rift spat out a new volley of demons, amongst the ranks a despair demon and a pride demon. Dorian groaned and immediately went to work on the pride demon. Cole, the only one fast enough to do so, focused on the despair demon. Nils and Cassandra focused on the two terrors that had come out of the rift as well, fighting back to back like they’d been born to do it.

The pride demon took a step forward, stomping its foot down on the ice. It splintered like a spiderweb from under the demon’s foot, creating a nervous twist in Dorian’s gut. Mixing with the heat that had no doubt melted some of the ice from the earlier rage demon, Dorian was almost panicking. A well-placed fireball to the pride demon had it falling on its knees, weakened. Cassandra turned to help Cole with the despair demon as she and Nils sent the terrors back into the Fade.

Nils threw a spell at the pride demon as it moved to thrash its lightning whips at Dorian, breaking its focus and making it turn towards him. Using the distraction, Dorian shot at it with a blast of fire as Nils ran at it headlong, skating around it as it burned. It tried stomping on Nils as he slid by it, making the Dalish stumble as Dorian hit it with one last spell. Defeated, the pride demon fell and was consumed back into the Fade as Nils, one knee on the ice, held his left hand up and closed the rift. With a smile, Nils looked at Dorian.

“That wasn’t so bad, huh?”

“Keep up with your attitude, see what happens,” Dorian said, stalking over to Cole and Cassandra.

Nils chuckled, then used his staff to give him balance to stand. As he made to move, all his weight on one foot, a loud crack echoed around the river. Nils froze as Dorian whipped around and looked at Nils, who was staring down at the spiderweb cracked ice with wide eyes.

“Inquisitor!” Cassandra said, looking concerned.

“Nils, don’t you dare—”

On shaking legs, Nils slowly stood, watching the ice with sharp eyes. He straightened up, sighing in relief when the ice was still and silent.

“That could have gone badly, don’t you think?”

“You’re going to get yourself killed, you stupid elf,” Dorian scolded, crossing his arms. “And then I will follow in the footsteps of my ancestors, walk into the Fade to find your soul, and shout ‘I told you so’ right in your face.”

“I’m flattered you’d do that for me.”

“Vishante kaffas. I’m about done putting up with you. Go on, get yourself killed. See what I care.”

Nils chuckled, shaking his head as he went to pull his staff out of the ice. With a frown, Nils looked at the staff, which was stuck firmly into the ice by the blade. Nils didn’t think he’d smacked the blade down that hard, but blade was in deep nonetheless. Placing both hands on his staff, Nils gave it a hard yank; it wiggled but didn’t come free.

“By the Dread Wolf,” Nils said, furrowing his eyebrows as he pulled harder. It wiggled again, but still wouldn’t come free. A third tug offered the same results.

“O Lord Inquisitor, we are waiting on you,” Dorian said irritably, standing with his arms crossed. He refused to look at Nils. “As we are always waiting on you.”

Nils readjusted his grip on his staff, ignoring Dorian’s jibes, and pulled with all his might. The blade came free, but the previous tugs had warranted Nils’ use of force unnecessary. Unbalanced by his own momentum, Nils flailed, his heels skidding on the ice, bending too far backward to correct. With a shout of surprise, Nils fell, landing hard on the ice below him. The ice, already cracked and weakened by the demons, gave way; with a sharp gasp, Nils broke through the thin ice and dropped into the water below it.

Nils’ entire body went stiff as the freezing cold water enveloped him. The metal breastplate on his chest dragged him to the bottom. The current, still quick as ever, threatened to drag him along the riverbed. With frozen hands, Nils managed to grab onto one of the large rocks he passed by, keeping himself from floating further downstream. The cold water hurt his eyes as he looked around, trying to regain his bearings; the ice was solid but clear, and Nils couldn’t see where he’d fallen in, the frigid water slashing at him like knives.

Above the ice, Cassandra gasped as Nils disappeared under into the water. “Inquisitor!”

Dorian whipped around, heart going still as he saw the hole in the ice Nils had gone into. Cole was already running towards the hole; Dorian couldn’t make any of his muscles move. Cassandra ran after Cole, keeping him away from the edge.

“The ice will be fragile near the hole!” Cassandra warned, peering around the ice. “The river flows this way, come on!”

A seed of fear planted itself in Dorian’s insides as he finally managed to make his legs move. He skirted around the hole and began looking around the ice, hoping to see something beyond the blue of the water.

“Festis bei umo canavarum, don’t do this.” Dorian’s voice shook as he ran about, sliding on the ice as Cole crouched down close to it, looking around. “Not now. Not after I’ve been wretched all day. Don’t make this our last interaction.”

Cassandra looked at a loss for the first time since Dorian had met her. With fear in her eyes, Cassandra started moving to the riverbank. “I’m going to get help.”

“I don’t care what you do, just hurry!” Dorian yelled, hands shaking. He felt like it had been hours, and all they were going to find was a frozen corpse. How long had it been? How long could Nils hold his breath? Could elves hold their breath for longer periods of time? “Find him or I’m melting this entire river myself!”

Cole suddenly straightened up, looking around. “Frozen knives dance on my skin, can’t hold, but have to, have to get back to him, have to find a way… can’t breathe, can’t feel. Going black…”

“Where is he, Cole?” Dorian demanded, looking daggers at the spirit. “Do you see him?”

“N-no, I can only hear him, and it’s fuzzy…” Cole said, sounding just as distressed as Dorian.

The tapping of footsteps on the ice, muffled by the water, met Nils’ ears. Lightheaded and frozen, Nils looked up, his lungs burning with need, and saw shadows on the ice. Mustering all his strength, Nils summoned as much flame as he could and reached up to the ice, which lay barely a foot and a half above his head. The ice began to give to his hand, weakening under the heat. Nils hit it with the palm of his hand, feeling it crack but not move. Dizzy, Nils melted through more of the ice, begging the Creators for more time, a little more strength, anything to get him back above the ice, back to Dorian.

As clear as day, Nils heard Dorian in his head, the pet name _amatus_ rolling into his conscious like it had been invited. With one last ounce of resolve, Nils grabbed his staff and shoved it into the ice, forcing more fire magic into it. The ice became thin almost immediately; Nils felt it bend as he pressed against it with his palm. Nils’ vision went black as he angled his shoulder and kicked his feet against the river bed, smacking into the ice with all his strength. He felt it shatter around his shoulder, felt the cloth on his arm go even colder with the windchill as he reached for the edge, but he couldn’t grab the ice and pull himself out. The water begged to pull him back under and keep him.

Dorian felt a thrill run up his spine; he knew the feel of that magic, could recognize it anywhere. He looked around for its source, eyes darting around, when he spotted a part of the river, no more than ten feet from him, cracking. Dorian almost sobbed as he ran over to the spot, hearing something smacking against it.

“Come on!” Dorian shouted, pressing his own fire onto the top of the ice. Cassandra came down the bank with two scouts following her as Dorian helped melt the ice. “Come on, amatus. You can do it.”

The ice shattered. A hand, wrapped in brown leather, reached above the broken ice before slowly sliding back underneath. Without a second thought, Dorian reached into the water, grabbing Nils by the collar and yanking him out through the ice. Dorian felt his heart begin pounding when Nils coughed out a mouthful of water and took in a gasping breath as Dorian pulled him out of the hole.

“Oh, thank the bloody Maker,” Dorian said, yanking the wet clothes off of Nils as the elf coughed and shook.

“You found him!” Cassandra said, the relief evident in her voice. “We brought blankets.”

“We’ll need them. We have to get the cold off of him. Nils, can you hear me?”

Through his coughing, Nils nodded weakly. Dorian pulled off his breastplate and yanked at his tunic, unconcerned with the buttons he was pulling off through his lack of finesse. “You’ll be alright. I promise.”

Cole gathered up the wet clothes as Nils shivered violently, Dorian trying to get his blood pumping by rubbing his skin. His torso was only bare for a moment before one of the scouts wrapped him in a blanket; Dorian managed to get Nils on his feet, pulling his boots and trousers off with little finesse. Gathering Nils up into his arms, keeping the blanket around him, Dorian picked Nils up and began marching to the bank. “We need to get him to camp.”

“You two, run ahead and begin stoking the fire. I want it hot,” Cassandra ordered. The two scouts ran back to the camp.

“You have his clothes, Cole?” The spirit nodded. “Good. Cassandra, grab his staff,” Dorian ordered, walking with Nils in his arms.

“Me?” Cassandra blurted, eyes wide.

“Yes, you, we have our hands full!”

Cassandra looked uncharacteristically nervous as she reached down and grabbed the staff. She held it awkwardly in her hands, as if pointing it in one direction might accidentally make her a mage. With a fearful expression, she followed as Dorian carried Nils towards their camp with purpose. She watched as Dorian, never one to display his affection publicly, pressed a kiss to Nils’ temple.

The camp was a whirlwind of movement. A healer ran forward and began assessing Nils for any lingering damage. A scout took his wet clothes from Cole and offered the spirit dry clothes for himself. Cassandra shouted commands for clothing and a hotter fire and gave the staff to anyone who would take it from her. Dorian stayed as close to Nils as he possibly could, worrying and staring down anyone who might suggest he should leave the Inquisitor’s side.

Nils hadn’t said a word; Dorian wasn’t sure he was entirely capable. The healer promised him it was just from the shock of cold, and if they kept him warm, he was going to be fine. Dorian helped towel dry Nils’ hair and combed it back out of his face, holding him close to keep him warm.

“He was lucky to not be under any longer,” the healer informed him in her thick Orlesian accent. “A minute more and there would have been nothing I could have done.”

“Let’s not dwell on the ‘what ifs,’ shall we? He’s alive,” Dorian said, removing any opportunity for discussion. The moment the healer had ended her examination he’d pulled Nils back into his arms, refusing to let him go.

The sky turned dark and the healer assured Dorian that Nils was safe, allowing him to cart the Dalish into their tent and rest. Nils had been quiet all afternoon; his steady breathing was the only thing that made Dorian sure he was alive. Carefully, Dorian took Nils into their tent and laid him down gently on his bedroll, covering him in the multitude of furs he coveted. Dorian, drained from worry and effort, began slowly taking off his own armor to prepare for bed.

He was down to his smalls when the fur rustled. “Dorian?”

“Blessed Andraste,” Dorian said, shaking his head. “You just love proving me right, don’t you?”

Nils peeked out from his furs as Dorian sat down next to him. “Proving you right?”

Dorian smiled. “I told you that going on the ice was a bad idea, didn’t I? No one ever listens to me.”

“By the Creators, I’m freezing.”

“I can hear it in your voice, amatus,” Dorian teased, smoothing back Nils’ hair. “Absolutely trembling. The healer said you should be alright in a day or two.” A beat, then Dorian lowered his voice. “You scared me to death, you know. I was so sure…”

Nils reached out and put a hand on Dorian’s knee; his hands were still cold as the water Dorian had pulled him out of. “Ir abelas, ma vhenan. I’m sorry. I promise I’ll be more careful.”

“Don’t lie to me, Mr. I-Like-To-Slide-Down-Mountainsides-Instead-of-Just-Walking-Like-a-Sane-Person,” Dorian said, snorting. “Just promise me we can be rid of this frozen wasteland until it thaws.”

“Once we deal with the Red Templars, I will never make you come back here again.”

“Thank the Maker for that.”

Nils smiled, then patted his furs. “Come on. I’m still freezing and you’re a walking torch. I need some warm right now.”

“How can I deny such a simple request?” Dorian said, worming his way under the furs. He hissed as all Nils’ cold extremities latched onto him. “Honestly, amatus, I’m afraid you’re never going to be warm again.”

“Nonsense. I’m just going to steal some from you.”

“Apparently.”

Nils tangled himself around Dorian like a rope, tying himself in knots to keep himself in place. They occupied a single bed roll, Dorian trying to rub away some of the shivering Nils was doing as he tried to sap all the heat out of Dorian. They were silent for a moment, then Nils spoke.

“Did you see Cassandra holding my staff?”

Dorian snorted. “I wasn’t even aware you were awake all afternoon, let alone looking around.”

“Did you?”

“By the Maker, I did.”

Nils smiled. “She looked like she was about to start casting, didn’t she? I’ve never seen Cassandra so terrified. And we saw her in Corypheus’ false future.”

“I was almost tempted to make a spell come out of it, give her a good shock.”

Nils chuckled. “I could never be so mean.”

“I could. Without any hesitation.”

Nils sighed in content, holding Dorian. The Tevinter assumed his lover had finally fallen asleep, and was on the way to sleep himself, until Nils shifted in his arms and cleared his throat.

“I… um…”

Dorian looked at the elf. “Yes?”

“I… almost gave up,” he admitted, looking down at Dorian’s chest to avoid his eyes. “In the water. I thought I couldn’t do it.”

Dorian hummed. “That makes me feel better.”

“No, I just… Elgar’nan,” Nils said, sighing. “It was too much. And I didn’t think I could go on, until… well, I heard you.”

“You _heard_ me?”

Nils shook his head, embarrassed. “It’s silly, and was probably just my mind trying to think of something pleasant as I was under, but… I didn’t think I could fight anymore. Then, clear as day, you were there, in my head. Calling me amatus. And it sort of… motivated me.”

“I’m glad the version of me inside your head kicked you into motion. I’d have been sorely cross with you if I’d had to fish you out of the bottom of the river in spring.”

Nils was quiet, and Dorian was sure that he was attempting to sleep, until Nils snuffled quietly. With furrowed eyebrows, Dorian looked at his lover.

“Amatus, are you… are you alright?”

Nils snuffled again, shaking his head and pressing his face into Dorian’s collarbone, his body shaking with the sobs he wouldn’t let go. Dorian tightened his hold on the elf, feeling the wet slide of salt tears dripping down his skin as Nils cried onto him. His fingers dug into Dorian’s back.

“I’m so sorry, Dorian,” he managed to say, his voice hitching and his breath coming in pants. “I’m so sorry.”

“You—Nils, I wasn’t being serious when I blamed you for this. Oh, bloody flames, come on, I’m not upset with you. I’m just glad you’re okay, amatus.”

Nils shook his head again. “I’m so sorry.”

Dorian decided nothing he could say was going to quell Nils’ crying. He simply held Nils, letting his elven lover get it all out of his system. Dorian was fairly certain there was no one cause that was causing Nils’ hysteria. Certainly, Dorian was sure, most of it was the realization that he had come very close to dying, and he had no other way to process it. The reminder of his own mortality was not a pleasant thing to face. Another part, Dorian assumed, was the fear that they would lose one another. 

Slowly, Nils calmed and relaxed, his body no longer shaking as the tears on his cheeks dried. With a hiccup, Nils spoke. “Dorian, I—”

Dorian shushed him, shaking his head. “Don’t say a word. Just go to sleep. Tomorrow will be better.”

“But I—”

“Not another word.” Dorian smiled. “Sleep.”

Nils fell silent again; Dorian followed his own advice and began to drift off to sleep, his arms guarding Nils like the river was going to slither up and steal him away. In the quiet, under the warmth of the furs, Dorian and Nils fell asleep, but not before Nils, voice thick with emotion, spoke into the silence.

“I love you, vhenan.”

**Author's Note:**

> Every report I looked up about people falling into ice were like split 50/50 on the mortality of the fall. So we'll say [Nils](http://norcalnoise.tumblr.com/post/104897492025/heres-my-new-dalish-mage-to-romance-dorian-again) was lucky.  
> I dunno I just needed them bickering and making up and walking onto the ice in Emprise du Lion makes me nervous every time.


End file.
